Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 21:51     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
Georgetown rooms are tiny! I webt there for monitoring once. I delivered at GW and had a great experience.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 21:47     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
Georgetown NICU hands down the best. I think the nurses in the GU NICU got the highest ratings as well. My little one was there for 5 weeks and I can't say enough good things. I was suppose to deliver at Sibley before I went into labor early and my doctor advised me to go to Georgetown. The high risk group delivered my baby. It isn't the easiest place to get to but from Rosslyn, it would be much easier than it was for me. I can't speak about the regular OB practice though. I did love my experience delivering at GU 100x more than when I delivered my 2nd at Sibley! Not nearly as busy and much better attention!
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 20:52     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
OP here. So I drove by GU and VHU, and both are equally near to where I live.

I have read that GU has a better NICU. Is this true? Also, are the post-partem rooms in GU larger than at VHU?

Thanks
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 17:42     Subject: Re:Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I had a great experience with GW (midwife, not OB so don't have a recommendation for you). The L&D nurses, post-partum nurses, and newborn nurses were great. It was very easy to have the baby stay with me the whole time--they didn't fuss about how I wanted to breastfeed and hang out with him instead of whisking him off to the nursery for standard procedures right away. I hung out in the L&D room with the baby for a while, and eventually they wheeled me into the postpartum room and helped me into the bed. The husband/partner fold-out couches were ok, but a sleeping bag was welcome extra padding on it. GW has a higher-level NICU than many area hospitals.


Doula here. I agree that GW is great and the midwives there are fantastic, but for the sake of clarity I just wanted to point out that Georgetown actually has a higher level NICU than GW. The only Level 4 NICUs in the area are Georgetown, Children's, and Johns Hopkins.


If you are including Johns Hopkins, then you also have to include Inova Fairfax' Level 4 NICU too.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 13:27     Subject: Re:Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
Anonymous wrote:I had a great experience with GW (midwife, not OB so don't have a recommendation for you). The L&D nurses, post-partum nurses, and newborn nurses were great. It was very easy to have the baby stay with me the whole time--they didn't fuss about how I wanted to breastfeed and hang out with him instead of whisking him off to the nursery for standard procedures right away. I hung out in the L&D room with the baby for a while, and eventually they wheeled me into the postpartum room and helped me into the bed. The husband/partner fold-out couches were ok, but a sleeping bag was welcome extra padding on it. GW has a higher-level NICU than many area hospitals.


Doula here. I agree that GW is great and the midwives there are fantastic, but for the sake of clarity I just wanted to point out that Georgetown actually has a higher level NICU than GW. The only Level 4 NICUs in the area are Georgetown, Children's, and Johns Hopkins.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 13:22     Subject: Re:Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
I had a great experience with GW (midwife, not OB so don't have a recommendation for you). The L&D nurses, post-partum nurses, and newborn nurses were great. It was very easy to have the baby stay with me the whole time--they didn't fuss about how I wanted to breastfeed and hang out with him instead of whisking him off to the nursery for standard procedures right away. I hung out in the L&D room with the baby for a while, and eventually they wheeled me into the postpartum room and helped me into the bed. The husband/partner fold-out couches were ok, but a sleeping bag was welcome extra padding on it. GW has a higher-level NICU than many area hospitals.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 12:37     Subject: Re:Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
Gave birth at VHC with both of my children. Each woman is given a private room. L&D is in one room and then you get moved to another for post partum. I love my OB (Dr. Armstrong) and had great nurses both times at VHC. My post partum room had a large coach for my husband and daughter. Both of my children ended up in the NICU so they weren't with me in my room but most people do have their children with them. I would go back VHC in a heartbeat.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 10:48     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
What about Sibley...I had a great private room, the choice of baby in room or in the nursery, etc. Just another option for you.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 09:57     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
Anonymous wrote:VHC moves you to a different room too.

Yes, we had a giant room for L&D at VHC and as soon as the baby was born, we got moved to a storage closet of a room for recovery. The chair/cot for dh was literally touching my recovery bed, with no available floor space. It was strange, but fine. Overall VHC was quite nice. Hated my nurse, but it happens...
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 09:50     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
I ruled Georgetown out myself because of accessibility, but then, I live on the other side of town in DC. In Rosslyn, it wouldn't be quite the same hassle to get there. And I have heard good things about the facility. But you're right that your only choice there is Georgetown's own doctors.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 08:07     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
I would do GW or VHC. Georgetown is so hard to get to and the only choice is the Georgetown OB office while GW and VHC have lots of doctor options.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 07:49     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
VHC moves you to a different room too.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 00:39     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
Oh, and also -- GW doesn't have a single room for birth and for recovery. There's a labor and delivery room and then you move to a different room for the post-partum period.
Anonymous
Post 07/23/2012 00:35     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
When you say classes, do you mean "appointments?" Because I don't think it's worth choosing a hospital based solely on the reputation of its childbirth classes, but that might have been a mistype.

I really don't think you could go wrong with any of those hospitals, but I think that if I were in your shoes I'd be more interested in finding an OB that I click with. The hospital, God willing, will be a relatively minor part of this whole process compared to how often you'll be seeing and interacting with your OB. Do you have friends who have delivered at any of those hospitals who might be able to offer you some advice?
Anonymous
Post 07/22/2012 23:32     Subject: Trying to choose between GW, Georgetown or Virginia Hospital Center for Childbirth
Hi - I live in Rosslyn so all three will be about equally close in proximity to where I live. I plan to do a medicated birth, but I would prefer a single suite to give birth straight to recuperation. I also want my baby in my room with me at all times. Georgetown has a great reputation, but VHC has a single room for the entire experience (which I like). GW is off the metro so it would be easy for me to attend classes from my job in DC. Anybody have any thoughts?